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With floor-to-ceiling windows and cream upholstery, Deep is a monument to Scandinavian minimalism stranded in the heart of the soulless Imperial Wharf development. On our visit there were only four other people dining.
Nonetheless, charming front-of-house staff made everyone welcome. Food is impressive, both in ambition and execution. While shellfish (oysters, mussels, lobster) is available at market price, the best food reflects the Swedish origins of owners Kerstin and Christian Sandefeldt.
It’s refreshing for once to leave the Med and sample fish cookery from more northerly climes. The meal started well, with lovely fennel crisp-bread and an amuse-bouche of creamy mussel soup.
Presentation reflects Deep’s lofty aspirations: three prosciutto-wrapped turrets of green beans were each topped with a thin escalope of sautéed monkfish. The dish of the evening, however, was a starter consisting of three little pots of cured herrings (pickled, with mustard, and in a creamy sauce) served with potato salad and a chunk of Montgomery’s farmhouse cheddar.
Scandinavian flavours continued with the garnish of prawns, chopped egg and horseradish with a slab of just-cooked steamed halibut; a hot-smoked trout with buttery braised lentils was prosaic by comparison. Technical skill is also evident in the puddings: witness a textbook baked alaska.